Lecture Notes: Storytelling and Narrative Structure

Introduction

• Discussion on creative blocks and incomplete scripts.
• Introduction to Dan Harmon's story circle as a method to complete stories.
• Focus on narrative structure to improve storytelling skills.

Dan Harmon's Story Circle

• Objective: Simplifies storytelling principles into an eight-step process.
• Used to analyze complex narratives, e.g., Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight."

Steps of the Story Circle

1. You (The Protagonist)

• Establish the protagonist and their status quo.
• Example: Bruce Wayne as Batman, fighting crime.

2. Need

• The protagonist's need propels the story forward.
• External Need: Batman's limits as warned by Alfred.
• Internal Need: Bruce's desire to be with Rachel.
• Seeks a replacement to retire from being Batman (Harvey Dent).

3. Go

• Protagonist enters the chaos realm.
• Batman seeks out Harvey Dent as a potential replacement.
• Harvey's need to capture Lau to dismantle organized crime.

4. Search

• Protagonist faces obstacles.
• Despite capturing Lau, a new threat (Joker) emerges.

5. Find

• Protagonist finds what they were looking for but with complications.
• Bruce attempts to reveal his identity but is thwarted.

6. Take

• Protagonist takes what they want, but at a cost.
• Captures Joker but at the cost of Rachel's life.
• Result: Bruce re-evaluates his future as Batman.

7. Return

• Return to the starting world with a new perspective.
• Gotham needs Batman due to Joker's chaos and Harvey's transformation into Two-Face.

8. Change

• Protagonist undergoes a visual and narrative change.
• Final showdown: Batman stops Harvey, taking blame for his crimes.
• Bruce/Batman's growth illustrated by returning to the start with a different outlook.

Conclusion

• Importance of pushing the protagonist to their limits.
• Story circle as a tool for overcoming creative blocks.
• Mention of additional resources for storytelling and scriptwriting.

Resources

• Link to a free story circle worksheet.
• Additional storytelling resources available at StudioBinder.